How Writing Helped Me Love Better
It’s been just over a year since I started writing weekly for I Believe In Love–a year full of more learning and change…
How Pregnancy Has Strengthened My Vows
I’m pregnant again. It’s early, and I’m not really telling people yet. But I’m taking a calculated risk in sharing the news with you,…
Getting through Hard Times in Marriage
One evening not too long ago, a married couple close to my husband and me invited us over for dinner, telling us they…
Am I Freaking Out, or is He Being Unreasonable?
Last week my husband and I left home in search of some fresh-picked apples and came home with a puppy. I’m not a huge…
Is Dating More Difficult Because We Have Too Many Options?
I’m a huge podcast junkie, and yesterday I heard a fascinating one about the theory of ‘optimal stopping.” This is the idea that, for…
I’m Married, But I’m Scared of Settling Down
Last night my husband and I did something we simply don’t do often enough: we talked goals. We’re both on the cusp of turning…
The Skeletons of My Past Don’t Belong in My Closet
Of all the bad choices I’ve made in relationships and the wrong turns I’ve taken, I will forever be grateful that I did one…
I Trust Him With My Life, Why Don’t I Trust Him With My Money?
Everyone knows that one of the top issues that couples fight about –and break up over–is money. But why? It’s just dollars and cents,…
Why I Don’t Want Fairness in a Relationship
I am a real stickler for people doing their fair share. I try hard to always do my part, and I can get pretty…
Rejecting Stereotypes And Embracing Love And Respect
In my home office, there is a shelf of books about dating, marriage, and how to know you’ve met the one. When I look…
I’m Finally Proud Of Our ‘How We Met’ Story
All I wanted was a meet-cute. As a college student in New York City, I spent a lot of evenings with my roommates watching…
Answering The Big Questions About Sex
When my daughter was only two weeks old, I caved to cabin fever and took her on a first trip to the grocery store….
3 Things Learned In 3 Years Of Marriage
According to tradition, you are supposed to give paper gifts on the first wedding anniversary and leather on the third. I like to think…
Appreciating The Beauty Of Waiting
I’m a terribly impatient person and I don’t look for opportunities to delay gratification. But over the last six years and several seasons of…
Dealing With Big Disagreements When You’re In Love
“Don’t sweat the small stuff,” the saying goes, “and it’s all small stuff.” I love the sentiment behind that and it’s often true. But…
The Words I’ve Learned to Redefine
The longer that I have spent my life married — the longer, in fact, I have been committed in a unique love to one…
Help! I’m an Introvert in Love
My husband and I are big-time, card-carrying, happy-on-a-desert-island introverts. While most dating couples worry about disagreements they’ll have and whether they’re ready to commit,…
Is Marriage Always a Disappointment?
My favorite podcast, This American Life, featured an interview with Alain de Botton, an author with what appears to be a very cynical…
When It Comes To Love, Can First Impressions Be Changed?
I spend a lot of time around military officials for my job, and I’ve often heard top-level brass say that the Pentagon has a…
Standing Up to Anger in My Marriage
I live in a perpetually angry city: Washington, D.C. Twice in the last week, I’ve witnessed angry shouting confrontations between strangers in the…